


Through Darkness, Into Light

by purgatoan



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Angst, Explicit Language, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Murder, Love Confessions, Mentions of Blood, Mentions of Murder, Witch Alastair, Witch Castiel, Witch Meg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-12-26 07:02:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12053781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purgatoan/pseuds/purgatoan
Summary: Meg and Cas have always been best friends and there’s nothing they don’t know about each other. They have each other’s backs if it comes to learning magic, confiding in each other and ignoring ther feelings blooming inside them. When threat looms over their town, they do everything to stop it, even if it can mean the end of everything.





	Through Darkness, Into Light

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta’d, so all the mistakes are mine!
> 
> This fic is currently my pride and joy. I adore this whole thing and I really hope you’re going to like it! I took most concepts of the ‘witch universe’ and spells from the Originals and The Vampire Diaries, but you’ll understand the whole thing without trouble, even if you didn’t watch any of those things ;) Tell me what you think! (I’m lowkey planning a sequel, but I don’t know how that’s going to work out.

The grass was soft under their bare feet as they ran toward the woods together, the ground nearly vibrating with life underneath. Meg could feel it thrumming rhythmically, like it had a heart of its own, pumping energy everywhere around.

There was so much energy in those little creatures buried under the dirt and stones that Meg’s breath hitched in her throat and she came to a stop, falling on her knees to feel it with her hands. Burying her hands in the grass, she pushed her fingers into the dirt, inhaling sharply at the surge of power that sizzled around her skin.

Meg knew she would never get enough of that; it was mesmerizing.

“Are you coming?” Cas turned around, seeing that she wasn’t following him anymore, and she pushed herself up from the ground to join him. Her jeans were already dirty but she didn’t care, not sparing them a second glance as she wiped her hands on them. “What are you doing?”

Meg shook her head, her hair flopping around with the movements. “Nothing. Needed a break from the running, that’s all.”

She was even faster than Cas, never letting him win whenever they would race, but he didn’t bat an eye at what she said. “I see. Can we go now?” he smiled, the kind of a smile that had her heart fluttering in a weird way, and she nodded, taking off after him without hesitation.

They crossed the first line of trees in no time and Meg breathed in deeply the clear air smelling of pine and resin, closing her eyes for a few beats of her heart. The woods always felt like home and that time was no different, except that she could sense a change, maybe not exactly in nature, but in herself.

Meg was a lot more aware of the life around her than she had been earlier and that feeling knocked her out of the park, making her twirl around on her toes as she tried to take it all in. The cones were biting into the skin of her feet, but she didn’t mind; it only made her feel more alive, and that’s exactly what she came there for.

Cas took her hand as she stopped twirling and spun her around a few times, making her laugh loud, the sound echoing in the usually uninterrupted silence around them. His hand was warm, his fingers entwined with hers tight; she trusted him not to let go, because he had never failed her.

They were inseparable since she had remembered, best friends forever, but lately the atmosphere between them had been shifting into something else, making her nervous just a little bit.

Moments like this one, when they were staring right into each other’s eyes like nothing else mattered, were filling Meg with both fear and excitement, and she wasn’t sure what to make out of it. Maybe it was better to leave it alone and wait, instead of trying to figure out what it all meant?

Meg let go first, a little out of breath, and dropped to the ground, sitting in the middle of a clearing. Cas sat down next to her, closing his eyes and exhaling audibly.

They sat like that without saying a word, simply existing in the moment. That’s what they would always do, come to the woods to take a break from the outside world.

“It feels different,” Meg whispered before she was able to stop herself.

“What do you mean?” Cas’ eyes snapped open, a frown appearing on his face. “The woods look the same.”

Meg shook her head, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. “The energy is stronger. I don’t have to focus to feel it.”

“What energy?” Cas insisted, his mouth going agape before Meg had the chance to explain what she had meant. “You’re…”

“What?” she moved closer to Cas, her voice shaking. “What am I?”

A full grin appeared on his face when he took her hand in his. “You’re my friend, of course, but that’s not what I wanted to say this time. You’re a witch.”

“N-no.” Meg stuttered, shaking her head. “Those are fairy tales, Clarence, nothing else. Witches don’t exist.”

“They do.” Cas insisted, pulling Meg up to her feet as he got up. “I can prove it, but you have to go with me.”

“You’re not going to murder me, are you?” Meg cocked her eyebrow and Cas doubled over in laughter, shaking his head.

Smiling widely, he said, “Not a chance. I like your annoying company too much.”

“I don’t know if I should be mad or happy about that right now.” Meg admitted, the corners of her lips twitching into a smile.

“You’ll decide later, come on.” Cas pulled her toward the middle of the woods and she followed him without a second thought.

She trusted him, that much would never change, even if she didn’t believe his words. She couldn’t be a witch; she didn’t know anyone who had magic abilities, so where would that come from? Definitely not from the thin air.

As they walked, the energy was fading one step at a time; Meg couldn’t feel it as clearly as she had had when they had entered the woods. Before she had the chance to voice her concerns, a big clearing came into her line of sight. Or, more correct would be saying that it had been a clearing at some point or another, because all of it had clearly been burnt to the ground, nothing but ash covering all the surfaces as she took it in.

It was a horrible sight, even more so because Meg wasn’t able to feel any energy there, which meant everything was dead. At least, that’s what her instinct was telling her.

Cas gestured for her to walk onto the clearing and she did, looking around in confusion as she dug her toes in the ash. “Now what?”

He didn’t say a word, only bent down and laid his hand on a cut tree that was covered with a thick layer of ash. Cas pushed the ash away with his hand, uncovering the tree, and the next thing she knew, she felt energy flow around her, staring at the tree coming to life with awe in her eyes.

Cas smoothed his hand against the growing bark and the tree grew higher, the twigs thin, but spreading wide, the only bit of lively brown and green in that part of the woods. The leaves unrolled on them next, fresh and juicy green. Meg stepped closer, skimming her fingers over them just to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating.

There was only one explanation as to what was happening.

“You’re a witch, Clarence,” she whispered, seeing Cas nod at her words slowly. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

He shrugged, lowering his gaze to the ground. “I was scared you wouldn’t want to talk to me. I know the reputation the witches have in our town, but they exist. There are good ones out there, two covens that rule the town together. Being a witch doesn’t mean being evil.” He raised his head, locking his gaze with hers. “And you won’t be an evil one either.”

“Two covens?” Meg let out and Cas nodded again.

Taking a deep breath, he said, “Yes. I thought you’d become a witch, because your family is a part of one of the covens. My family created the next one, but they don’t know I have powers. I haven’t told anyone, only you know about it now.”

“Why didn’t you? And how do you seem so calm about all of it?” she ran her hand through her hair, various thoughts racing through her mind.

How hadn’t she noticed that Cas was different? How had she missed it?

“I don’t want to be caught up in all the coven-related drama, not to mention that witches keep to themselves. They don’t like when members of two covens hang out together and I don’t want to have our friendship taken away.” Cas admitted and Meg blinked away the tears that filled her eyes at this statement.

There were no words she could say that would express how grateful she was Cas had decided to keep on being her friend, instead of pushing her away without an explanation. Considering her parents hadn’t cared about her one bit, he was all she had.

“And I’m still myself, only with some powers I didn’t know I had. It’s not a big deal, you’ll come to the same conclusion one day.” Cas assured her, a soft smile on his face. “You’re a witch, just like me.”

“Shit, I really am.” The realization hit her, the weight of the truth almost too heavy on her shoulders, but Cas was there for her, squeezing her hand tight, helping her carry the weight of such responsibility. “What do I do now?”

“Nothing too difficult. You need to accept yourself just the way you are, figure out your power and that’s it,” Cas said and she dared a smile to take over her features. “You’re still yourself, don’t ever forget about that.”

“I won’t.” Meg vowed and Cas let go off her hand, giving her a nod.

Spotting a crunched leaf, she knelt down and took it in her hands, brushing her fingers over the harsh edges. It had beauty to it, but it’d be even more beautiful if it was alive.

Meg exhaled, for the first time fully focusing on energy thrumming inside her, flowing through her veins along with her blood. She let a little bit of it escape from her fingers and pour onto the leaf, having no idea what was pushing her to do it, but her effort was rewarded immediately.

It came alive under her influence, unrolling in no time, and a gasp spilled from her lips at the sight. “It should be impossible,” she whispered, twirling it in her fingers, watching the green spread and take over the space taken by dull and ashy brown.

“Nothing’s impossible for us,” Cas said and, for the first time in her life, she really believed she could do anything and everything, especially that Cas was going to be there with her every step of the way.

* * *

“Invisique,” Meg repeated for what felt like a thousandth time, groaning in frustration when her necklace was still visible.

Why was such a simple spell giving her a hard time?

Cas laid his hand on her shoulder and she let her eyes flutter shut, trying to harness the power coursing wild inside her. It was like trying to tame a wild animal with nothing on her hands, relying only on her wishes to come true. It was safe to say it seemed like an almost impossible task at a first glance.

“Calm down. You won’t be able to do it if you don’t stop overthinking the whole thing.” Cas’ voice was calm ever; he was an excellent teacher, his patience continuing to surprise Meg.

For her, Cas was hiding the fact that he was a witch from his family, even though they were convinced he would present his talent someday. Meg knew how hard it had been on him and there were no words that would express how grateful she was for his sacrifice, knowing that she would be forever lost without her best friend.

She didn’t feel comfortable in her coven. No one had been able to get to her and explain everything the way she needed other than Cas, and she couldn’t understand why Alastair had became the regent of their coven. There was something dark about him that made her skin crawl and nobody had believed her when she had voiced her concerns. Only Cas trusted her instincts.

When she took another deep breath, Cas said, “Try again.”

Meg opened her eyes, focusing on the necklace in front of her and trying to visualize it fading into nothingness in front of her eyes. “Invisique. Invisique,” she whispered, and the necklace disappeared like it had never been on the table in the first place.

The amount of energy that went into the spell was almost undetected; Meg had barely felt it at all, knowing that it was already restored with her next breath. That was the charm of spells no one was going to mess with; once energy had been put into them, it wouldn’t be required again, unless someone other than her decided to cast a counterspell to break the spell she had casted.

She turned to Cas with a wide smile on her face and pulled him in for a hug. “I did it!”

“I knew you could do it.” He admitted, laughing as well. When she pulled away, he pushed a stray strand of her behind her ear, the gesture making her cheeks heat up.

His eyes were sparkling and Meg wasn’t sure if it was their natural beauty, or maybe the way candle flames were reflecting in this azure blue, but she didn’t care. The warm feeling inside her body had nothing to do with magic, that much she knew, but what exactly could it be?

The whole world seemed to disappear when Meg felt Cas’ fingers under her chin, gently cupping her face. Her heart was racing and she found herself hypnotized by his lips, slowly leaning forward. The wonderful moment was gone before it even began, though, as he cleared his throat and moved away.

It stung deep in her heart, but Meg ignored it, assuming a happy smile like the past few moments hadn’t happened. “I guess you want me to uncloak it now?”

“Yes.” Cas admitted, twirling with the pendant hanging on a delicate chain around his neck. “At least try it, I know counterspells come to you easier.”

“Visique,” she muttered inaudibly, strumming her fingers over the edge of the table in a steady rhythm. “Visique,” Meg said louder, drawing from the power simmering under her skin, and an outline of the necklace flickered in front of her eyes, only to disappear after she blinked. “Dammit.”

Patience was never her strong suit and Meg was about to get up and pace around the room a bit in order to collect her thoughts, but Cas surprised her, holding her still in place with his hand on her shoulder. “You want all of this to happen too fast, you don’t leave room for the magic to do its work.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, her forehead scrunched.

“It might seem like the spell works the moment we say the incantation, but that’s not the case. It needs a moment, even if that moment lasts less time than taking a single breath,” Cas explained, his voice akin to a whisper. “You need to let it flow, not urge it, no matter how much you need the spell to work right away, because it won’t work at all in that case. Okay?”

Meg took a deep breath, nodding. “Yeah, okay. Go with the flow, huh?”

“Something like that.” He smiled, letting go of her shoulder. “Think you can make it work right now?”

“I’ll try, just let me focus,” she said, inhaling slowly.

Meg found that breathing exercises allowed her to be more in control while using magic, making it easier to direct it the way she wanted, so why not use it? Imagining magic to be flowing inside her like the air getting in and out of her lungs helped her get in touch with it, make it more real.

With a newfound determination, Meg focused on the part of the table she knew the necklace was on, breathing out simple. “Visique.”

The energy slipped from her without much effort, making air around the necklace waver. The next thing she knew, her necklace was lying on the table and her hand shot to grab it, just to make sure it was real.

It hung in her hand, little silver heart dangling down, and Meg turned to Cas, smiling. “Seems like I need to work on my patience, not on casting spells.”

“Maybe.” Cas shrugged, a smirk lingering on his face. “Or we can work on both.”

“I think I’ve had enough for today, thank you very much. I promise I’ll practise those two later, though, and try out fire casting spell, too,” Meg said, putting on the necklace through her head and slipping it under her hair.

Cas let out a laugh. “Have a bottle of water nearby. Or a bucket, in case you set on fire something you didn’t want to set on fire in the first place.”

Meg rolled her eyes, but wasn’t able to stop the corners of her lips twitching into a smile. “Yeah, right. I’m not that bad of a witch, Clarence.”

“I know, you’re just-” He cut off, taking a deep breath. “You’re different. You strengths lie in other places than mine, same with weaknesses. That’s why it’s difficult for me to understand your struggles sometimes.”

“That’s where all the fun is.” Meg admitted, and Cas shook his head, smiling. “Now, show me what you’re working on lately.”

He sighed, taking the pendant off his neck. “I’m trying to direct bits of my energy into it, but they don’t stay. The moment I try to cut the connection, the magic comes back to my body. It’s frustrating.”

“I see. How about you show me and maybe I’ll be able to tell you what’s the problem here?” Meg suggested, extending her hand toward Cas, and he nodded, hanging the pendant on her fingers.

The stone’s color was similar to the color of Cas’ eyes; baby blue that shone in the room with its own light. It basked Meg’s skin as she held it, making it seem much more paler than it was in reality. Giving Cas a nod, Meg raised the pendant a bit higher, letting it swing from side to side at a slow pace.

Cas closed his eyes and extended the fingers of his right hand, murmuring an incantation under his breath. The pendant shone even brighter for a moment and Meg gasped at the surge of energy she felt leaving Cas, but light faded away in no time and the energy disappeared, like it had never been there in the first place.

“That’s how it always goes.” Cas groaned, running his hand through his hair. “Do you have any idea what I might be doing wrong?”

“I don’t know.” Meg admitted, running her fingers over the chain that came with the pendant. Closing her eyes, she held it tight, a smile appearing on her face when the slightest bit of energy thrummed under her fingers. “You’re not doing anything wrong,” she said, giving the pendant back to Cas. “But the energy is not in the stone, it’s in the chain. You redirected it to a different place, that’s all”

“Really?” surprise rang clear in his voice and Meg nodded, letting go of the pendant. “You’re right, I can feel it there.” Cas admitted, the corners of his lips stretching into a smile, too.

He closed his eyes, his fingers closing around the chain, and the room went dark as he drew power from it, all the flames dying down as he whispered an incantation. It was impressive, especially with how many candles they had lit before they started practising, but that didn’t get Meg’s full attention. What got her, was the darkness which had appeared around them.

It seemed like a force of its own, just like fire or any other element, and Meg found herself drawn to it like moth to flame, letting herself feel the power hid in it. It overwhelmed her, making her skin crawl with something that she couldn’t identify, and she cut the connection before it had the chance to develop, feeling her body tremble.

“Meg, you okay?” Cas was by her side in an instant, grabbing her hand with his, and she leaned closer to him, desperate to feel something else than that horrible coldness and fear she had just felt.

He wrapped his other hand around her waist and pulled her close, holding her so tight that she could barely take a breath. Meg buried her head in the crook of his neck, counting his breaths, trying to ground herself to reality.

“I hope so,” she whispered, still holding on tight to him. “I’ve never felt something like that, Clarence. What the hell had just happened?”

“I have no idea, I just put the flames out. What did you feel?” he asked, threading his fingers through her hair and she let out a shuddering breath at the feeling, inhaling slowly afterward.

Calmness seemed to seep through his fingers and into her, letting her breathe in deeply, but her heart raced still, for a completely different reason altogether.

It always happened when Cas was around and touched her in any way at all..

Meg took a moment to figure out the best way to describe it, then said, “It was overwhelming, like having pure ice injected into my veins, but it buzzed with power, too. I don’t know what’s going on.”

“We’ll figure it out, okay?” she nodded and the room was lit again when Cas murmured Incendia under his breath, the candles burning bright. “For now, let’s stay away from darkness.”

“I can definitely get on board with that.”

* * *

The woods had a completely different vibe at night than they had during the day, but Meg wasn’t afraid, knowing the nature was on her side. It would protect her from darkness, that much she knew. They were opposites; light and nature were on the same page, while darkness and everything created by humanity assumed an opposite front.

Cas was going to wait for her at the same clearing he had shown her a few years ago and she picked up her pace, running at such a pace that she could barely catch her breath. Her heart was thudding fast in her chest, a steady rhythm that she could hear through the blood pounding in her ears. The trunks were swishing as she pushed them away, the thorns from bushes scratching at her jeans with every step..

The pendant she had gotten from Cas was hanging around her neck, the way the honey brown stone was tapping her skin with her every leap a constant reassurance that everything was going to be okay. It was linked with Cas’ stone thanks to a spell he had learned and, as long as the glimmer was there, Meg knew the connection was still there, too.

That meant he was still alive, unharmed by any of the Alastair’s minions who were hellbent on slaughtering every witch who didn’t want to join Alastair’s coven. All members of Cas’ coven hid somewhere, but since Cas hadn’t revealed to anyone that he was a witch, too, they had left him, hoping his human status would be enough to keep him safe.

Only Meg knew how terrified he was of being found out and killed.

She wasn’t far away from him; she could already feel his energy, so pure and alive compared to the rest of the sad and ashen clearing. No plants had grown there throughout all that time, so the only power coming from there had to be coming from him.

“I didn’t know if you would make it here” Cas admitted once Meg came from around a line of trees and ran onto the clearing, panting, her lungs begging for air. “I was scared Alastair got to you.” He pulled her into a tight hug and she melted into it, finally feeling a wave of calm and relief wash over her.

Cas was the most important person in her life; knowing that he was alright was the best news she could have ever gotten.

“He didn’t and he’s never going to get me.” Meg breathed out as she pulled away, her hands on her thighs as she bent over, trying to catch her breath. “I know how to overthrow him.”

Cas’ mouth went agape at that statement. “What? You can’t be thinking about challenging the regent of your coven.”

“As much as I’d like to kick his ass, I’ve got a different idea.” Meg grinned, clicking her fingers once, and an image of a precious stone appeared above her palm, twirling around. “Apparently, this aventurine has been stolen from the previous leader of my coven and lost somewhere. I was told it’s a leadership stone and, whoever gets it back, they’re becoming a regent. No questions asked.”

“Why did Alastair become the regent then, if the stone was lost?” Cas asked, staring intently at the image of the stone.

Meg shrugged. “I guess he tricked them into thinking he had the stone and when they realized he was lying, it was already too late to do anything about it.”

Cas nodded, pacing around Meg. “That would make sense. You get the stone, you become a regent. That doesn’t sound difficult, actually. Where’s the catch?”

“Does there have to be a catch?” Meg raised her eyebrows, closing her palm, and the image disappeared. “Fine, there’s a catch. I have no idea where it is.”

“You need to find this stone, but you have no idea where to start?” he said and Meg reluctantly nodded, making Cas sigh loudly. “We’re so screwed.”

“We’re not. I was also told that the stone was covered in the blood of our coven’s ancestors after it was found, to mark it as ours, and that blood seeped into the precious center somehow to keep it from getting destroyed,” Meg explained, taking a rolled map of the world out of her pocket. “So, we could use my blood to try to track it since the blood of my ancestors flows in my veins, too. I think there’s a chance it’ll work.”

Cas took the map from her and set it on the ground, straightening out the wrinkled paper. “Don’t you think they’ve tried that trick already? Locator spells aren’t exactly difficult for people with a lot of experience.”

“I know they have, but maybe they’ve missed something. Or, you know what, I don’t give a fuck. We’re out of options, Clarence, so, get on board or leave me alone.” Meg snarled, her skin buzzing with energy simmering under it as the emotions flew through her body, violent and overwhelming.

It was difficult to get them under control as the darkness threatened to make its way inside Meg again. After she concentrated enough, though, the dark tug of the dangerous force went away.

Cas’ gaze dropped low and he shook his head slowly, kneeling on the ground in front of the map. “You know I’ll never leave you, so let’s get on with the spell.”

“Cas, shit, I’m sorry,” she whispered, dropping down to the ground in front of him. “I didn’t mean to take it on you, but with all those people getting murdered and the darkness trying to overtake me, I can’t sit around and do nothing.”

“I know,” he sighed, a small smile appearing on his face, and she knew she was forgiven. “And, apology accepted. We’ll figure it out, I promise.”

Meg reached for the knife hidden in a holster on her leg, slashing her palm with it in one quick move to avoid drawing it out. “You do?” she let the blood drop onto the middle of the map as she squeezed her hand, wincing as the pain appeared.

“Yes,” Cas took her hand in his, gently closing it, and keeping on holding it. They locked their left hands, too, spreading them over the map. “We’ll find this stone together, okay? No matter what it takes.”

Meg nodded, exhaling slowly. “Okay.”

“You ready?” he asked, his gaze locking with hers, looking for her confirmation.

“Yeah, let’s do it.” She agreed, focusing on the feeling of Cas’ hands holding hers, trusting him to ground her the way nothing or nobody else could.

Slowly, Meg took a deep breath and released it, repeating it a few times before she was certain she was focused and her mind was free of anything else that wasn’t the aventurine. She wanted, no, she needed to find it, or everything would be lost.

Cas spoke first, his voice a whisper, yet Meg could feel the sheer power in it. “Phasmatos Tribum. Nas Ex Viras. Sequita Saguines. Ementas Asten Mihan Ega Petous.”

When he started repeating the incantation, Meg joined in, seeing Cas’ pendant glowing in the dark, and only after a moment she had realized her pendant was glowing, too. Baby blue and honey brown were harmonizing together, lighting up the part of the clearing they were at without any effort.

“Phasmatos Tribum. Nas Ex Viras. Sequita Saguines. Ementas Asten Mihan Ega Petous.” She put all her will and power in those simple words, not stopping for a moment, but chanting steadily, picking up her pace with every word spoken.

Cas adjusted to her, like he always did, and they chanted together, mesmerized when the blood began moving across the map, crossing the ocean and the lines that didn’t seem to mean much when they were just ink on the paper. They kept chanting, even when the blood stayed in one place, because it didn’t make sense for the blood to stop there.

Spells couldn’t be wrong, though. Or, could they?

Meg shook her head, staring at the map in disbelief. “It can’t be here. It’s impossible.”

“We’d have felt if it was cloaked or if the location was redirected, but that’s not the case. It has to be here, there’s no other explanation. Do you have a map of our town by a chance?” Cas asked, folding the world map quickly, not caring that the blood smeared all over it.

Meg ran her hand through her hair. “No, shit. Wait.” She took her phone out of her pocket and googled the map of the town, setting the phone on the ground after she was done. “Do you think this is going to work?”

Cas shrugged, picking the knife up from the ground. “Only one way to find out.”

* * *

All the lights on the street were out; it was a good few hours after midnight, all the people were sleeping, so it seemed like the luck was on Cas and Meg’s side, at least for now. At night, the chance of them getting noticed by anyone was a lot slimmer than during the day.

Meg clutched her pendant tightly in her fingers as she and Cas made her way toward the house the stone was supposed to be in, knowing that if Alastair had found out its location, they’d be in for a big fight.

That kind of a fight could end with both them dying, considering the forces Alastair had had with him were enormous. Half of the coven had turned to the bad side, the rest had been slaughtered or ran away, trying to keep themselves safe.

“Are you sure you want to reveal yourself, Clarence?” Meg asked for what seemed like a thousandth time that night, only to be met with a chuckle.

“Yes. It’s been too long hiding a secret like that, and our covens are in danger. What better time than now?” he smiled, and kept walking forward, Meg following his steps.

She took a deep breath once they stopped at a porch, slowly opening the door with their magic. There was no telling what kind of danger was waiting for them inside and that was enough to cast a deep fear in her gut, only her strong will preventing the panic from taking over.

They walked inside together, side by side, and Meg swore she could feel the power of the stone calling out to her, a connection she had never realized she had had in her assuring her that the stone was there somewhere. The wooden floor kept creaking under them as they searched the house and they would look around to make sure no one was onto them every so often, but the house seemed abandoned so far, flecks of thick dust flowing in the air as they moved.

Meg was growing frustrated, but Cas kept encouraging her to keep looking, staying with her as she turned the whole house upside down. They had searched every single room, checking for secret drawers and safes, but found nothing like that, and her patience was already running low.

The floor creaked particularly loud under her feet in the living room and she stopped, kicking away the carpet covering that part of the floor. A triumphant smile made its way onto her face when she felt the descend into what could only be a cellar radiate magic; that meant they found the aventurine.

No one would bother putting a spell over a place that didn’t hold anything precious in it.

“Clarence, I’ve got something.” Meg called out and Cas was by her side in a blink of an eye, laying his hand over the door to the cellar. He held his hand out toward Meg and she took it without hesitation, letting her power flow through her body and into Cas’, hearing him whisper an incantation.

He repeated it a few times, his voice straining, but the wooden door eventually gave away and they pushed it to the side, finally getting access to the cellar.

Cas took a careful step down and Meg scoffed playfully, making him turn his head to look at her. “What happened to ‘ladies first’?”

“Oh, nothing at all. I don’t want you to die first in case someone or something is waiting down there. Does that excuse the momentary lack of manners?” he flashed her a smile and she shrugged, following his steps when he walked down.

“I guess it does.” She smiled too, carefully descending down the stairs.

The sounds of their steps echoing made the hairs on Meg’s skin stand, the sound loud and obnoxious in complete silence. Having nothing to brighten the room with, Meg grabbed her pendant and let the power flow in both directions, seeing the stone glow in complete darkness.

A light glow in front of the door opposite to them captured her attention and she picked up her pace, crossing the distance between the faint light and her in seconds, at most.

“Where’s the fire?” Cas wondered out loud and she gestured toward the stone drifting in the air high above the floor, its light getting stronger with every step she took toward it.

Meg swallowed a lump in her throat, taking a look at Cas. “There’s another catch I didn’t tell you about.”

“What is it?” he asked, clearly sensing her discomfort as he laid his hand on her shoulder, a comforting weight of his hand calming Meg down. “What do you mean?”

“I also found out that the person who grabs the stone needs to be worthy of becoming a rightful regent. Otherwise, they-” she cut off, unable to force the word past her throat.

“They die.” Cas stuttered out, shaking his head. “Of course. If everyone could get it, it’d be too easy. Dammit, Meg.”

Meg took a deep breath and lurched toward the stone, figuring that it was now or never. Cas wouldn’t let her take it if he knew it could put her in danger. Before she had the chance to grab it, though, Cas’s body collided with hers, a pure wall of strength and muscle that had her stumbling backward with no way of regaining her momentum.

He walked them both to the wall and pinned Meg to it, making it impossible for her to move an inch. “Clarence, what the fuck are you doing?” she whispered-yelled, trying to shake him off of her.

“Nothing, my thorny beauty.” Cas cleared his throat after that and Meg hoped he didn’t see the blush rising on her cheeks. He had never called her like that, but she had to admit she liked the nickname. “I know you’ll take that aventurine with you, even if I try my best to stop you, so I want to tell you something first.”

Meg raised her eyebrows, confused. “Then, by all means, hurry. I’ve got covens to save.”

“I know.” Even in the dim light of their pendants, she could see the wide smile on his face. “I love you, Meg. I always have, and I guess now is as good time as any to tell you that.”

“I hope you’re not fucking with me, Clarence,” she whispered as he rested his hand on her cheek, his touch feather-like, making her heart race. “Because, if that’s the case, I’ll kick your ass, even if I end up as a ghost of the witch.”

Cas didn’t answer, only leaned forward, stopping when their faces were mere inches from each other. The pendants began shining brighter and Meg didn’t know what to make of it, feeling her body melt into his touch.

If there was a possibility of her dying, she needed to do this. After so many years of being confused over her own feelings, Meg finally had a name for what she had been feeling.

She had fallen head over heels in love with Clarence and she hadn’t even noticed.

After taking a deep breath, Meg crashed her lips into his, and the feeling knocked her off her feet, made her mind hazy. This kiss was everything she didn’t know she needed and she poured all her love into it, feeling Cas respond with the same enthusiasm.

His hands roamed over her body, this time his touch fueling the desire inside her that she didn’t know she had. As much as Meg wanted it to last forever, she couldn’t wait any longer.

Meg pulled away slowly and walked around Cas with an apologetic smile on her face, heading toward the stone. He stayed where he was this time, watching her with his eyes glazed over. A single tear spilled from his eye, running down his cheek, and Meg averted her gaze, biting on her lip to keep her cool.

She could still taste Cas’ lips on her tongue when she reached for the aventurine, hoping dying wasn’t in the cards for her that night.

When her palm closed around the stone, the green light was almost blinding, shining through her fingers and lighting up the room. Meg considered it weird that nothing was happening, but the next moment she was on her knees, trembling, seeing dozens of images flying in front of her eyes.

They all brought her a massive headache, the kind that made her feel her head was about to explode. The feeling made Meg bite on her lip in an attempt to prevent herself from letting out a sound, knowing it would hurt Cas to know she was suffering.

Digging her nails into her palm turned out to be enough to distract her from the pain and she was able to focus on the images, trying to understand what it was all about.

It was difficult to note everything down with the pace the images were moving at, but Meg recognized one thing. The aventurine she could feel thrumming in her fingers was present in every situation, being given from hands to hands, for what she could say were centuries or maybe millennia.

The energy coming off from the stone had her breath hitch in her throat; she had never felt so much power in her life. It seemed like a damn on a river broke and she was getting flooded by all the energy contained by the sacred mineral. The next thing Meg knew, there were voices in her head, speaking to her in languages she had never understood, but had no trouble understanding anymore.

One thing she made out from all those voices was the fact that they were all her ancestors, and they wanted her to be the regent. They deemed her worthy.

Meg only realized her eyes had shut when she opened them, seeing Cas standing a few steps away from her with a knife on his throat. Alastair was behind him, his fingers waving in the air, and Meg could tell he was trying to use magic on Meg, but couldn’t do it for some reason.

“I knew you would lead me right to the stone, sweet Meg.” Alastair chuckled darkly, the sound making Meg shiver. “Now I can destroy it and there will be no worrying that somebody’s going to make use of it.”

Meg shook her head. “I won’t let you do that. You’ve caused enough mayhem in this town, it’s over.”

“Put the aventurine away, darling,” Alastair said, pressing the knife stronger against Cas’ skin. “Or I’m going to kill him.”

Even from such a distance, the trickle of blood flowing down Cas’ throat was clear as a day, filling her with dread and fear. A few hours ago, there would be nothing for her to do, but now that she had the ancestors on her side, nothing could stop her.

Meg clutched the stone tighter in her hand, feeling the aventurine vibrating in her hold as she tried to stop herself from killing Alastair already. The ancestors wanted her to say something first. “I can’t do that. I’m the reagent now.”

“Oh, says who?” he chuckled, rolling her eyes. “You’re no one, Meg. And I’m going to kill you for going to find the aventurine behind my back. You’re a traitor.”

“Say the ancestors,” Meg whispered, feeling the link between her and thousands of dead witches from her coven strengthen with every minute, their magic becoming a part of her, flowing through her veins. She was a part of them now, too. “And they have a message for you.”

“They do? Then let them speak, little girl. I bet a conversation with them will end up more interesting than talking to you,” he snarled, not letting go off Cas.

Meg grinned, outstretching the fingers of her free hand. “They told me that you can go to Hell, since the land of our ancestors will never welcome you home after you die.”

Meg reached with her mind for the pendant hanging on Cas’ throat, strengthening the connection between her pendant and his with the magic coming off from the ancestors. Cas clearly felt it, too, and he reached for her with her magic, a barely there smile appearing on his face.

With one sweep of her hand to the right, Meg had Alastair pinned to the wall, his limbs stretched out wide as he tried to free himself. “You little bitch,” he yelled, and the knife he had been holding dropped to the floor, leaving him completely on her mercy.

Cas ran to Meg, his gaze locking with hers. “Are you okay? Is it still you?” his voice was shaky, like he wasn’t sure what was going on and, hell, Meg didn’t blame him.

She had trouble believing she was okay herself.

“Still me, Clarence.” Meg confirmed, smiling. “Fucking furious and pissed off me, though.”

She turned her attention back to Alastair, snapping his neck without as much as a second thought. She felt no power escaping, probably because the aventurine granted her the power of all the ancestors. The energy coming off from them was too much to even comprehend, so the amount of energy that went into killing Alastair had been too little to be noticed.

When his body dropped to the ground, the light coming off from the aventurine faded, but the link to the ancestors was still there, lingering at the back of her mind.

She knew what she had to do next.

Meg extended her free hand toward Cas and he took it, squeezing it tight just like every time they practised magic, but this time it meant something else than just sharing power.

It felt different, too.

“Let’s go. I’ve got a coven to take over.”

* * *

“Can you believe that I’m the regent now?” Meg whispered, twirling the aventurine in between her fingers.

The wind blowing made the goosebumps break out over her skin as they walked toward the graveyard, ready to set the stone in the altar created millennia ago, right where it belonged.

Cas had been by her side when she had went to the high witches of her coven and presented herself as the regent, uniting with them to smite everyone who had used their magic for evil. When all of that had been done, the ancestors had spoken to her again, telling her to put the stone in its rightful place.

Not to mention that the ancestors had allowed her coven and Cas’ coven to be joined, explaining that strength lied in numbers, since Alastair killed a huge part of both covens. It meant Cas didn’t have to worry about hiding anymore, and she couldn’t be happier.

It all seemed like an incredibly vivid dream, too good to be real, and Meg wished that pinching herself would be enough to convince herself she wasn’t dreaming. She had done it a few times already and it didn’t convince her at all, even though her arm stung terribly.

“Not exactly.” He admitted and Meg couldn’t stop herself from chuckling. “But you’re still you. You didn’t change, or, rather, they didn’t change you.”

“Of course they didn’t. Changing? Over my dead body,” she said, flicking her wrist to open the gate to the graveyard, and the metal hinges creaked as it opened wide, letting them walk inside. “But they’re looking up to me now, like I know what I’m doing, and, honestly, Clarence? I have no damn clue.”

Cas chuckled, walking after Meg as she lead him toward the altar the ancestors were leading her toward with their energy and visions. “You’ll figure it out. I doubt they expect you to know everything right at the beginning.”

“Maybe.” Meg shrugged, the stone emanating light over the graves and the cobblestones. “I never expected it to go this way, you know? I was planning to get out of this town and be a witch somewhere else, start fresh. Now I’m going to be responsible for the coven, so no way in hell I can leave.”

“I know, but maybe you’re looking at this all wrong,” he suggested, and Meg had to admit she didn’t expect to hear that.

“What do you mean by that?” she asked, their gazes locking as she came to a stop, ignoring the tug of the magic of the ancestors for a moment.

Cas shot her a smile, the one that had her heart racing like it wanted to burst out of her chest. “I mean that you have me by your side. No matter what the coven will expect of you, I’ll be here to guide you through it.”

“Only to guide me?” Meg took a step closer to Cas, a smirk appearing on her face.

“That depends on you.” Cas admitted, extending his hand toward her.

She took his hand without a word, squeezing his fingers tight, stepping right into Cas’ personal space. His eyes were reflecting the stars above them, nearly sparkling in the moonlight, and Meg watched in awe, admiring everything that she hadn’t given herself the chance to look at before.

It seemed so obvious that she was in love with him, why hadn’t she realized earlier?

Smiling, she said, “I want to be with you, Clarence. In case I didn’t make it obvious before.”

Cas chuckled, licking his lips. “I was wondering if that kiss meant something or not. I was worried it meant nothing.”

“Really?” Meg wondered out loud, Cas’ free arm sneaking around her waist. “I can’t believe it. Am I such a bad kisser that I didn’t convince you?”

Cas rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling, his gaze set on Meg. “You’re not a bad kisser. I can’t believe you said it back, that’s all.”

“Life has the habit of surprising people, Clarence. I thought you of all people knew that.” Meg cocked her eyebrow, expecting a clever comeback, but there was none.

Instead, Cas’ warm lips were on Meg’s again, but they were saying something else this time. They held a promise of waiting for the future together, not wondering if they would get that future at all.

Meg had to admit that the future, although completely unpredictable, had never seemed to look better than in that moment.

 


End file.
